Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is under the microscope as claims of copyright infringement have cropped up against him.
On Tuesday, TMZ reported that the family of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Marvin Gaye, is suing Sheeran for copyright infringement. The lawsuit alleges that the British pop star stole elements of the melody, harmony and rhythm from Gaye’s ’70s hit single for his Grammy Award-winning song “Thinking Out Loud.”
It’s been two years since “Thinking Out Loud” debuted on Sheeran’s album “X,” and it has been six months since the single won “Song of The Year.” However, just four weeks after, Sheeran was hit with a similar legal case. “X-Factor’s” Matt Cardle claimed Sheeran stole segments of his work for “Photograph.”
“Thinking Out Loud” became the first track to spend one year in the UK Top 40 and is Sheeran’s first number one song. Townsend has requested that his suit be decided upon in a jury trial. He specifically claims that the “harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements central to Gaye’s track formed the structure of Sheeran’s hit.”
Sheeran’s camp has yet to respond to the accusations. Last year, Gaye’s family was awarded $7.4 million after it was found that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams had committed copyright infringement on their single “Blurred Lines.”
You can find the two tracks below to hear for yourself.